Journal of Research in Infrastructure Designing

Volume 2 Issue 2

Architectural Elements of a Building

Ar. Farah Wahaj*
Freelance Interior Designer - Urban Geometry, India.
*Corresponding Author
E-Mail Id:-fwahaj@msn.com

ABSTRACT
All built forms termed as buildings will have the same basic principles/elements irrespective
of their differences. Buildings can vary in shape, size, function, number of floors, type of ma-
terials used, type of construction, style of building, budget etc. All the elements of a building
whether it is big or small, appear in the start of construction process or at the end of it are
equally integral. Every elements put together aptly makes an effective building whole.

Keywords: Elements, building, construction, services

INTRODUCTION ELEMENTS OF A BUILDING

A building design and construction is The building is a conglomerated whole of
guided with the use and multiple elements. the following elements that work behind
The way these elements are synced togeth- the main principles -
er vary in every design. The architectural 1. Structural Loading
elements of a building use differently 2. Substructure
skilled labor to be able to execute them as 3. Superstructure
per design. Material variation can also be 4. Primary Elements
possible for different elements. 5. Secondary Elements
6. Finishing elements
7. Services

Fig.1: Architectural Elements of a Building

HBRP Publication Page 1-3 2019. All Rights Reserved Page 1

 Journal of Research in Infrastructure Designing
The above mentioned elements have fur-
ther types within them. The type can be
used according to the design or kind of
building. But every functioning building
will have a mix of all of the above men-
tioned elements.
Structural Loading - The load bearing
components of a building are under con-
stant stress to transfer the loads. Loads are
of two types - dead loads, imposed loads.
Dead load is the building weight itself that
is fixed. Imposed loads are of added
weights like furniture, natural forces, hu-
mans etc. Transferring these loads can
cause the following stress compression,
tension or shear stress. Compression is
load from the top and bottom push towards
the centre, compressing the component.
Tension is top and bottom pull away from
the centre, widening the component. Shear
is stress on opposite sides causing a slicing
effect. The kinds of load bearing structure
are
Horizontal - floor and flooring
Vertical - walls, columns
Bracing members - diagonal or cross
members fitting it roofs and scaffolding.
Substructure- The base of a building -
foundation is its root. An underground
structure that grips the entire building to-
gether and transfers its load onto the
ground, few types of foundation are - pile,
raft, pad, wide strip, narrow strip etc.
Fig.2: Floor-wise elements of a building
HBRP Publication Page 1-3 2019. All Rights Reserved
Volume 2 Issue 2
Superstructure - The part of the building
that comes above the substructure or over
the ground is superstructure. The super-
structure itself has a lot of layers to it like
the following -
Primary elements - This constitute essen-
tial elements like walls (external and inter-
nal), floors (ground and upper floors) ,
roofs and stairs connecting the floors. The-
se are the interconnected structural ele-
ments.
Secondary elements - These are the ele-
ments that reflect and complete the spaces.
Elements like - partition walls, doors, win-
dows, glazing, skins, ceiling, aesthetic el-
ements, interior elements, chimneys are all
secondary elements of a building.
Finishing elements - The completing fin-
ishes like plastering, paints, cladding etc.
is the top-most layer of the all structural
elements. These elements are mostly aes-
thetically the most appealing as this is
what the human sees first.
Services - Building services include water
supply and sanitation, electrical, HVAC,
phone, internet, surveillance, fire-fighting,
TV cabling etc. These services serve as a
backbone for the functioning within a
building. They are mostly built in within
the primary and secondary elements.
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 Journal of Research in Infrastructure Designing
CONCLUSION
Any building function effectively only
with the correct design and function of
each and every of its element / principle.
As discrete each element seems to be they
are intermingled in a twine that sews the
fabric of a building together. The building
elements also need specialized skill de-
signer and workers to be able to design and
construct every element correctly and effi-
ciently. An architect, engineer, services
consultant, interior consultant and an ex-
ecutor all work as a team to build a build-
ing.
REFERENCES
1. http://www.carpenters-
works.com/en/basic-elements-
buildings.html
2. https://www.embuilding.com.au/gloss
aries/6-primary-elements
HBRP Publication Page 1-3 2019. All Rights Reserved
Volume 2 Issue 2
3. https://civilblog.org/2015/04/07/what-
are-the-basic-components-of-a-
building-structure/
4. https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolle
ges.co.uk/FEAndVocational/WorkBas
edLearn-
ing/BuildingServices/Level2Carpentry
andJoin-
ery/Samples/CarpentryJoinerySample
Materi-
al/CandidateHandbook2ndEdition-
Chapter4.pdf
5. https://www.embuilding.com.au/gloss
aries/13-secondary-elements
6. https://www.petefowler.com/blog/cate
gory/Building
7. http://www.orazio.it/index.php/12-
basic-components-of-a-building-
structure/
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